$2 Million Settlement for Failure to Diagnose and Treat Hypoglycemia

Hypopituitarism is a condition that affects the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and usually results in a partial or complete loss of functioning of that lobe. When it is present in a newborn it usually manifests itself in hypoglycemia, a small penis in a male and jaundice. Eight years ago, a firm client, represented by principal Michael Zerres, was born with these very symptoms which were not adequately appreciated by his neonatologists at a Bergen County hospital. As a result, the hypopituitarism was not diagnosed and the hypoglycemia was untreated, resulting in damage to the baby’s developing brain. When the child presented to his pediatrician, she too, failed to appreciate the significance of the child’s history, and failed to perform follow up tests to evaluate his hypoglycemia, likely resulting in additional damage occurring. At the age of five months, the baby’s hypoglycemia was determined to be a result of a growth hormone deficiency identified by a pediatric endocrine specialist. The family agreed to a settlement of the case against the primary neonatologist and pediatrician for $2 million.